Source Apportionment of Background PAHs in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (Alberta, Canada) Using Molecular Level Radiocarbon Analysis

The downstream accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), an ecologically important landscape, is a key issue of concern given the rapid development of the oil sands industry in Northern Alberta, Canada. In addition to PAHs derived from industrial act...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2015-08, Vol.49 (15), p.9056-9063
Main Authors: Jautzy, Josué J, Ahad, Jason M. E, Hall, Roland I, Wiklund, Johan A, Wolfe, Brent B, Gobeil, Charles, Savard, Martine M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alberta
Biomass
Brackish
Carbon - analysis
Carbon Radioisotopes
Environmental impact
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Fossil fuels
Geography
Oil sands
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis
Rivers - chemistry
Sediments
Watersheds
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Summary:The downstream accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), an ecologically important landscape, is a key issue of concern given the rapid development of the oil sands industry in Northern Alberta, Canada. In addition to PAHs derived from industrial activity (i.e., oil sands mining) within the Athabasca watershed, however, forest fires and erosion of fossil fuel deposits within both the Athabasca and Peace watersheds are two potentially important natural sources of PAHs delivered to the PAD. Consequently, evaluating the environmental impact of mining activities requires a quantitative understanding of natural, background PAHs. Here, we utilize molecular-level natural-abundance radiocarbon measurements on an amalgamated sediment record from a Peace River flood-susceptible oxbow lake in the northern Peace sector of the PAD to quantitatively discriminate sources of naturally occurring alkylated PAHs (fossil and modern biomass). A radiocarbon mass balance quantified a predominantly natural petrogenic source (93% petrogenic, 7% forest fire) for alkylated PAHs during the past ∼50 years. Additionally, a significant petrogenic component determined for retene, a compound usually considered a biomarker for softwood combustion, suggests that its use as a unique forest fire indicator may not be suitable in PAD sediments receiving Peace watershed-derived fluvial inputs.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.5b01490